Becoming a Primary Supplier, An SSG Success Story A major guidewire manufacturer approached Surface Solutions Group with an opportunity for us to be a coater for all of their overflow work. They had a coating line in-house, but could not keep up with the demand of their customers. They worked with SSG to develop a…

How SSG Solved a Dangerous MedTech Coating Issue At Surface Solutions Group, we think that we’ve come up with an answer for a medical device coatings issue that has recently dogged the industry. Pure polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coatings for decades were the “gold standard” for coating guidewires and related products, with unmatched low friction coefficient. But…

SSG Project Leads to Higher Quality Plus Faster Turnaround Time A medical device manufacturer in search of a new supply source for PTFE coated 3-wire stylets approached SSG. They required consistent coating quality and quick turnaround times; needs which were not being met by their current provider. SSG turned to its worldwide network of strategic…

SSG Partners with Customers to Achieve Efficiency, Effectiveness and Economy In 2003 SSG identified an opportunity to help a customer that was coating their guidewires in house. Their process was inconsistent. Our goal was to apply the PTFE coating to the customer’s guidewires and eliminate the internal production quality issues, coating costs, coil-bound heavily coated…

SSG Assists Needleless IV Manufacturer A manufacturer of needleless intravenous IV components was having significant problems with its silicone plungers, which were housed in a rigid plastic housing. The high friction silicone rubber valves were lubricated with silicone oil or grease to allow low friction, consistent valve action. Oil migration issues resulted in valve tears,…

SSG Quickly Delivers Coated Continuous Lengths of Spooled Wire A major guidewire manufacturer was working with a coating applicator source that continued to insist on a six week lead time for PTFE coating applications. Delivery time failed to improve over many months. The resulting “bottleneck” in production made it impossible for the guidewire manufacturer to…

SSG Cannula Project Results in Expanding Arsenal of Color Marking Technology A large medical device manufacturer needed PTFE coating applied to cannulas requiring precise masking on the proximal end. The coating had to demonstrate low friction properties and maintain coating adhesion during the grinding process to produce the beveled end. It required good dielectric resistance…

SSG Applies Coating on Ball Bearing Retainer for 500,000 rpm Dental Drills A bearing company that manufactured dental drill ball bearings approached SSG for help. The manufacturer explained that dental drills performing at very high speeds have special low friction requirements. The goal is to lower friction to use less air and insure consistent power…

SSG Eliminates Guesswork for Surgeons Dual Color Coated Guidewires The advent of PTFE-coated guidewire for medical applications began a revolution in the way surgeons perform many procedures. At the same time, it has necessitated the need for new and better fabrication of materials. Surgeons need to be able to assess the rotational position or torque…

SSG Chemists Duplicate Coatings to Enable Domestic Fabrication For decades, Baxter Medical relied on a German manufacturer for endoscopic and surgical instrumentation. With usage on the rise in the early 1980’s and an increasing demand worldwide, Baxter found itself faced with three- to four-month backlogs and the inability to fill orders. They had to find…

SSG Develops Mandrel Coating with No Touch Marks or Masking Lines SSG was approached by a high-tech Israeli company that needed a specialized mandrel in numerous lengths with round ends. Their application required a very precise PTFE coating with a tolerance of +/- .0002″. We were able to obtain the mandrels, per print, through our…